Hello!
Doing a camping trip through Europe and flying into Brussels on a Sunday.
Looking to buy methanol alcohol for our mini camp stove.
AS Adventure is open Sundays but they don't seem to carry this fuel.... just the Coleman liquid fuel, which I don't think is the same.
We will be leaving Brussels and driving to Bruges to camp for the first night - so anything on the East side of Brussels would work too.
Thanks!
Alternative if you can't find alcohol is to buy an international multi-fuel stove like the MSR: https://www.rei.com/product/830342/msr-whisperlite-universal-backpacking-stove
The MSR burns "Coleman" fuel, kerosene, unleaded auto gasoline etc (but not alcohol).
You mean west of Brussels. First you can look in one of the gas stations along the E40 freeway to Bruges. DIY shops like Brico are open on sundays, anyway the one in Sint-Kruis just east of Bruges and sell methanol. There is also an A.S. Adventure if necessary nearby along the same road closer to Bruges. Euroshop in Maldegem also along the same N9 road certainly sells methanol.
Better is to say where you will stay that first night so I can direct you to a more convenient location.
@ Edgar - we cannot bring a stove like that on the plane. We are only doing carry-on bags.
@Will - Sorry yes, we will drive West of Brussels and stay at a camp ground just East (sort of) of Bruges. First we will drive close Ypres to see some war memorials (some smaller ones) and then head to Bruges. The map seems to take us through/passing by Ghent first on our way there. There is an AS Adventure just outside the airport that we were going to .. but if there is one on the West side of the city then that is probably better.
I will take a look at the Brico website as well. I didn't think about that type of store because we just buy it in the camping store here in Canada.
Any suggestions for grocery shops that are open on Sundays?! All Asda locations seem to be closed as well as many others that I found by tracking around on Google Maps. I have only been able to find one small, neighbourhood shop near-ish the airport.
Thanks for the help!!
Nevertheless living in the Netherlands I visit Bruges a few times a month as it is just a 40min. drive from my place and am I also quite familiar with the nearby places.
You can ofcourse contact the campsite if they know a nearby grocery that is open on Sundays.
Shops in Belgium are free about opening/closing times. In general however the larger supermarkets like Delhaize, Carrefour and Colruyt will be closed, but some branches, mostly smaller ones like Carrefour Express can be open in the morning, till early afternoon or even the whole day. It differs from place to place, I see that a Carrefour near the railway station in Ypres will be open on sunday till 6PM.
If you can be more precise about the route to drive from the airport to Ypres and also the time of arrival I can help looking for a grocery along the road as close as possible to the freeways that will be open. The most obvious route to follow from Brussels Airport is direction E40 to Gent, near Gent direction E17 to Kortrijk, there E403 and E19 to Ieper (Ypres), so will this be the route you are planning?
I don’t see so many campsites just east of Bruges on google maps, just guessing will it be Camping Memling in Sint-Kruis? If so the Brico shop and the A.S. Adventure shop are at walking distance as well as a bus stop for going to the historic centre. Carrefour Express (that is not the large one next to the Brico shop) in Sint-Kruis is open till 8PM but located further away along the Moerkerkse Steenweg.
Thank you!
I checked many Brico and they all seem to be closed at 1pm. Since we arrive at 11:30am I think we won't make it before they close!
There is one beside the AS Adventure near BRU but it is closed on Sunday. So is the AS Adventure. Maybe we have to sleep in our car!!!
We will be staying at Camping Memling so we need the tent before we get there Sunday night. I think we may have to wait until the morning to buy the alcohol at the Brico you suggest near the camping grounds.
Here is the rough route. I hope the link works.
I made somehow a mistake with the opening hours of the Brico in St. Kruis, very sorry for that. But indeed it will be impossible to get there before closure time for the one that is open in St Andries at the other side of Bruges. Good news is that the Euroshop in Maldegem sells pure methanol, the shop is open till 6pm every Sunday.
The link works perfect. It will be not Ypres but the American Cemetery along the E17 freeway near Waregem, so likely you will drive back to Ghent to the E40 after the visit for going further west to Bruges. For going to the Euroshop you can take the exit to Knokke-Heist / Tielt / Aalter halfway the E40 Ghent and Bruges. The shop is located near a roundabout along the N9 to St-Kruis and Bruges.
